After calling on the police for help, Sonya Massey was shot and killed in her own home by those sworn to serve and protect
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2024 – Today, Brady joins Americans across the country in condemning the horrific act of police violence against Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called for help, only to be shot and killed by an officer in her own home. After officers entered her home, Sonya went to remove a pot of boiling water from the stove — an action which the police officer took as cause to brutally shoot her. This violent, disgusting, and ultimately deadly overreaction by the officer shouldn’t be a surprise: He has a history of misconduct and aggression, was discharged from the army for a ‘serious offense,’ and was recommended for ‘high stress decision-making classes.’
Brady Senior Counsel and Director of Racial Justice Kelly Sampson said:
“Sonya Massey should be alive today. It is a scandalous indictment of our country that she was shot and killed in her own home, by an officer who was supposed to help her. Sonya Massey’s innocent call for help put her on a collision course with the twin epidemics of gun violence and racial injustice – and like far too many, she did not survive her encounter with racist, violent policing.
Sonya’s killing is heartbreaking proof that any effort to address gun violence in this country must go hand in hand with efforts to address racism. Police violence is gun violence – and to prevent another family from suffering like the Masseys, we must urgently confront both."
Brady is committed to tackling gun violence in all its forms and reiterates the need to confront the systemic racism that drives gun violence, including police violence, and prevents Black and Brown Americans from returning home to their families. Our thoughts are with Massey’s family and we support local advocates in their calls for justice and accountability.
About Police Violence and the Disproportionate Toll of Gun Violence on Black Communities:
Black Americans are 2.5 times more likely to be killed by police than white Americans.
Since 2015, Black people in the U.S. have accounted for 27% of those shot and killed by the police – despite making up only 14% of the U.S. population.
Police officers are twice as likely to incorrectly assume Black & Brown people are carrying firearms compared to white people.
American police kill more often than any other industrialized country.
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Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.